• The Florida panther's watchful gaze- Courtesy- Ralph Arwood

    Big Cypress

    National Preserve Florida

  • ORV Related Closures

    Effective 12:01 a.m. Friday, March 23, 2012, Zone 4 airboat access within Big Cypress National Preserve will be closed due to low water conditions. Other areas of the Preserve will be closed to recreational ORV access from June 4 through August 2. More »

Things To Know Before You Come

ACCESSIBILITY

Visitors with mobility impairments can access the visitor centers, restrooms throughout the preserve, campgrounds, and boardwalks. 

For visitors with hearing impairments, a variety of publications may be obtained at both visitor centers. Wayside exhibits with illustrations and text on natural and cultural features are situated throughout the Preserve and in the vistitor centers.

SERVICES

Food, gas, lodging and similar services are not available at Big Cypress. These are available in the town of Ochopee.

WEATHER & CLIMATE

From June through September daytime temperatures may exceed 90 degrees Fahrenheit with very high humidity. Winter temperatures occasionally drop below 32 degrees Fahrenheit.

Did You Know?

Many large trees that did exist were harvested in the early 1900s.

There are few "big cypress" in Big Cypress National Preserve. The name comes from the great expanse of cypress forest, hundreds of thousands of acres, within the Big Cypress Swamp.